


Unsteady

by renjunphile



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, College AU, Dancer AU, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Rivals, Slow Burn, University AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 04:25:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18731551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renjunphile/pseuds/renjunphile
Summary: The university's best contemporary sophomores are entered into a showcase as a duo. Only problem? They're rivals.





	Unsteady

DONG SICHENG ARRIVED AT YOUR COLLEGE in sophomore year as an international student on a permanent exchange. You, at first, had no idea why he decided to transfer to your college after hearing the rumours he came from one of the most prestigious universities in China, until you remembered that your very own college was world-renowned, especially it’s performing arts department.

Still, you were confused. By sophomore year, friendships had formed and classes had bonded and everyone had gotten used to how everything worked down to the smallest things like which doors were creaky or which vending machines had the best prices and snacks. You couldn’t imagine stepping into a world where everyone knew their place and what they were doing. On top of that, he still had to learn the language.

Sure, there were many people who joined your year group when Sicheng had, but Sicheng was extra special, being someone who joined both your dance major and surprisingly, in some of your electives.

The moment he stepped foot on campus, the whole place began sending shroud looks to their friends accompanied by hushed whispers. Of course, no one knew everyone on campus, but the thing with Sicheng was that he had this aura about him. He seemed untouchable and whether that may be down to his blank face or the confident way he walked, no one dared to approach.

You were there in the courtyard by the dance faculty building when he arrived, looking down at the map in his hands and then looking around. He had stopped by a bench under a tree a few metres from where you had been, and you were intrigued. At first, you assumed that he was a freshman because you had never seen him before- not even in the tapes that you studied of the juniors and seniors. Then you remembered that freshmen didn’t start for a couple more days. You had dismissed Dong Sicheng at first, more concerned with your late best friend and classmate than the boy that was hidden by a dark hat until he was approached by someone in particular.

Ten swaggered his way over to this new kid, and you couldn’t keep your eyes off. Ten was, to put it simply, your idol. No, you didn’t have a crush on him, but you admired him and his skills, especially. He wasn’t much older than you were, somewhere around one year, making him a junior, but when you arrived at the college, he was a sophomore who was assigned to help with your freshman class for a few lessons. Primarily, you were captured by his dancing and how majestically he had moved, and then, what really roped you into Ten was that he saw something special in you, and made it his mission to take you under his wing and help you flourish. That was how you gained the title of being the best in your year.

Now, you were familiar with Ten’s friends. He hung around with the same people that you found yourself acquainted with, so it was even more strange that you had absolutely no idea who this new person in front of you was. When the boy removed his hat, you were first struck with how good looking and adorable he was. Then he opened his mouth and started speaking. You were at a distance where you could hear their conversation, and you had recognised that he was speaking in Chinese to Ten. You didn’t even know Ten could speak and understand Chinese. You knew Ten was Thai, but Chinese? You were surprised.

You figured that trying to eavesdrop had no point- you had no idea what they were saying, so you focused your attention back to your phone after realising that it had buzzed. Lisa was apologising profusely for running a little late to the first day of school even though she had promised to turn up early so you could assert your dominance over your chosen classroom space for the year, so you replied it was okay and decided to walk in on your own (which you didn’t want to do). You turned your head, and immediately met Ten’s eyes, which lit up the moment he caught your attention as his feet began surging forward.

“Y/N!” he called happily, “So glad to see you! How was your summer? How was the internship? Anyway, this is a friend of mine who just joined your year. His name’s Dong Sicheng and he’s from China but his Korean is okay. He has Minghao in your class, but just wanted to introduce you two. He’s an amazing dancer.”

You met Sicheng’s eyes and smiled widely, “Hi Sicheng, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Y/N.”

Sicheng opened his mouth to say something, closed it again and frowned, momentarily doubting his language skill before he spoke with a bright smile, “Hi Y/N. It’s nice to meet you too!”

-

You wished that you were able to become friends with Sicheng, if not even for the sake of Ten, who wanted nothing more than that, but the truth was, jealousy quickly roared its ugly green head the moment you saw him in your first practical dance class. The very worst thing about Sicheng wasn’t his killer smile, but the fact that he operated with the same dance style as you, and he was damn good at it. In your eyes, he was better than you and you hated this.

You refused to meet eyes with Dong Sicheng civilly after that. Whether you were glaring at him or scowling, he quickly got the vibe that you didn’t like him and at first, he was confused because you seemed really nice and genuine when you two first met, but he decided to reciprocate your stares and thrive under the rivalry you very quickly formed.

“Can you believe him?” you screeched to Lisa as he walked off the stage after finishing his performance. What had set you off was the little smirk he shot your way just after finishing which exuded ‘I’m better than you and you know it’. 

“I believe that he is one hot, talented piece of- ow! Y/N!”

“You can’t talk about him like that,” you snarked, even if it was true. You watched as Sicheng sat down on the theatre seats with his friends in your class- Minghao, Yugyeom, BamBam and Jungkook.

“You know, if you two were friends, you could be really powerful together,” Lisa sighed defeatedly, “You could help each other become even better and then the rest of us really have no chance for that valedictorian spot.”

“Before he came, I had no competition for that valedictorian spot anyway,” you retorted.

“Okay, ouch, but yeah, that’s true. You were the faculty’s beloved and then Dong Sicheng snatched all their wigs!” Lisa chuckled, earning a light punch.

“Don’t say tha- oh shit! Lisa, they’re coming this way!” you began to fret once you saw them approaching.

You were somewhat sweaty, stinky and ratchet looking after your own performance and your minor crush was heading your way, looking like some kind of god even after his difficult routine. Jeon Jungkook was approaching and you were losing your shit so much that you failed to register Dong Sicheng being one of the boys coming your way.

“Hey Lisa, Y/N!” BamBam greeted happily. He was truly one of your favourite people, and Lisa’s childhood friend, “You two did so well up there!”

“I wish we could have seen yours, but I’m sure you did well too,” you replied. You had been backstage all nervous when he performed his after Minghao’s, “Jungkook, your routine was so cool.”

“Thanks, princess,” Jungkook winked teasingly, “I’ll be sure to watch yours when the footage gets released.”

Your cheeks flushed red. Jungkook was a flirt, and everyone knew it, but he was also really nice and genuine and far from the typical fuck boy who slept around and left shattered hearts in his trail. Your crush on him wasn’t a serious crush. You didn’t actually want to date him since you didn’t think that you two were that compatible, but he was nice eye-candy. 

“What about me, Y/N-ie, wasn’t mine good? I saw your mouth drop during my routine.” Sicheng taunted, making your face transform into a scowl.

“Don’t talk to me, Sicheng,” you barked, “Besides, are you so in love with me that you’re looking at me while you’re performing?”

“Of course, angel,” he blew you a kiss.

You imitated the action of vomiting as everyone erupted into laughter around you, “You really know how to get under my skin.”

“I can get under your clothes tonight too if you want,” he winked.

“Yah, Dong Sicheng!” you stood up angrily, “Did you only learn how to talk like an asshole in Korean?”

“He’s just teasing, Y/N, just some rival banter,” Minghao wheezed through laughter as he slung an arm around Sicheng, “You two seriously have to give up this rivalry though. It’s not even healthy competition.”

“I’ll give it up when he stops being an asshole,” you retorted.

“Hey, you started it first Y/N. I did nothing wrong to you,” he defended.

You rolled your eyes and pulled Lisa away. You didn’t want to put up with him any longer.

-

Something you really despised was that you and Sicheng ran with the same group of people, unfortunately. He merged seamlessly with Ten’s massive group, and while you were friends with them, they were distant enough for it to be okay. However, he also grew close with the same people in your year that you were friends with, namely Jung Jaehyun.

Jaehyun was in your business elective in freshman year, and he became your seatmate for the whole year since neither of you had friends in that class (more so you than him, because, by God, was he a people magnet). You considered Jaehyun to be one of your better friends outside your best friends and of course, you two agreed to sit next to each other the following year.

What you didn’t sign up for, however, was the irritating dancer on the other side of Jaehyun.

Sicheng wormed his way into your life once more by being in your business class and decidedly not making any other friends and instead choosing to sit with Jaehyun. You endured it (after grumbling and a small spat with Sicheng) because you really didn’t want to put Jaehyun in a situation as such and make him choose. So most days, you got through Business 50% listening to the professor, 25% plotting how to take down Sicheng and 25% glaring at him the way he glared at you. Jaehyun, being in the middle, found it amusing.

“Airhead, pass the papers,” you heard that familiar snarky tone call over at you. Snapping out of your daze, you saw that a stack had been slid over from the girl that sat a few seats away. You picked it up, placed one on your desk, one on Jaehyun’s and passed it behind you. Petty, you knew, but you got off making Sicheng annoyed.

“Y/N!” he whined, “Stop pissing me off, I’m not in the mood today.”

“What, only got 98% on your dance theory or something?” you grunted, “Broke your 100% streak? You’re not even fluent in Korean, how can you ace the tests?”

He smirked knowingly, “You jealous, Y/N? It’s okay; your 97% will ensure you second place. Behind me, of course.”

“Yah, Sicheng, Y/N,” Jaehyun cut in with death stares to both of you, “You two are so mean to each other for no damn reason and you two don’t need a rivalry. Ratings aren’t everything. Sicheng, you’re amazing at what you do, but Y/N, you are too. There’s no need. You’re both acting like children; you’re college sophomores, not middle school freshmen. It’s been 7 months since Sicheng moved here and you’re still bickering like crazy. Do you not get tired? I don’t want you two to fight because you’re both my friends. So, stop it.”

You and Sicheng didn’t reply to Jaehyun after that, only bowing your heads, turning to the lecturer and giving each other a glare as you walked out of the class. 

-

“What are you doing here?” were the first words spat out of you mouth seeing Sicheng slumped over in the chair by the door. You tugged on the strap of your dance bag as you glared at him.

“I-”

“Ah, Y/N, I thought I heard your voice. Sorry to keep you waiting Sicheng, but you two can come into my office now,” the voice of your dance teacher sounded in the small hallway. 

You looked on wearily between her and Sicheng, but entered the office wordlessly, regardless. You had been given the order to go to professor Lee’s office after your History of Modern Dance class, but the last thing you expected was Sicheng to be present too,

“I bet you two are very curious as to why you’re both here together,” Professor Lee giggled, taking a seat behind her desk and clasping her hands together, “But it’s been well raised to our concerns that you two, two of our very best sophomore dancers, have some kind of heated rivalry going on-”

“Oh Professor Lee, I promise that our rivalry is not harming our education at all or anything. If anything, it’s fuelling us. Please don’t-”

“You’re not in trouble for that, Y/N,” she laughed, “Rivalries are very common, but the thing is, your rivalry may get in the way of what I’m about to ask of you two that I want you two to consider carefully okay?”

Both you and Sicheng gulped and nodded. 

“The universities in Korea are putting on a modern contemporary dance showcase in 3 months time with the theme of passion. You two are our best contemporary dancers and you’re both top of the class. When we heard of the showcase and heard we could only send one entry, we knew that we didn’t want to send just one of you, because that would be unfair to the other. The theme goes so well with a passionate duet, but knowing that you two are rivals, we are sceptical of whether you two will be able to pull something off,” she explained slowly, “But we really want you two to work.”

You pondered with it for a moment. This was an amazing chance for you to receive national exposure. 

“Why us?” Sicheng suddenly spoke out, “There are many amazing contemporary dancers in the years above us.”

“Well, we avoided choosing the seniors because they need to focus on their finals and graduation, and we sincerely believe that you two can turn your rivalry fire into something explosive. A few juniors did this showcase last year so they were sophomores too. Ten did it, remember, Y/N? Think about it and come back to me with an answer soon, but I tell you that this showcase will be good for you. It will be attended by representatives from the top companies not only in Korea but from all over the world. This could secure your future career,” she answered.

“We’ll do it,” you blurted on the spot, “We’ll make it work.”

Sicheng looked taken aback by your enthusiasm but didn’t say anything. 

“I knew that I could count on you two. We’ll have further discussions very soon, but you two better go off to your next class,” Professor Lee smiled gratefully to the two of you, “Go on!”

You stood up, following Sicheng out. Once you were in the corridor with the door shut, you pulled on Sicheng’s arm, “Look, you better not mess this up for me.”

“Same goes,” he retorted, “I look forward to working with you, partner.”

You could never admit it, but you were terrified.

-

When Professor Lee said passionate, you did not imagine this kind of passion. You gawked in surprise at the video she showed you, saying that she wanted your duet to have that kind of vibe and aura. To put it straight, the dancers in the video were practically dry humping each other in fluidity.

“We’re going to leave you two mostly to your own devices to see what you two can come up with together, but we’ll check in every few weeks to see your progress,” Professor Lee smiled, “It’s very mature of you two to put aside your differences and work on this together. It’ll be worthwhile, I promise.”

She exited the room, leaving you and Sicheng standing in silence in an empty practice room. It was night time already because you both were very busy people and this was the only time you could make it. 

“Do you have any ideas?”

“Sicheng, I’m thinking,” you snapped out at him, placing your hands on your legging-covered hips, “I don’t know how I’m supposed to work with you.”

“Well, let’s start with telling me why you hate me so much,” he demanded, walking closer to you, “So we can sort out this shit between us.”

“Sicheng, there is nothing between us,” you barked, “And I hate you because I just do.”

“Either you’re hiding something from me, or you’re just a terrible person because no normal person can hate someone without reason. I want to say that it’s because I beat you at the occasional test, but I know that it goes beyond that, so how about you tell me the reason and fix this,” he seethed through his teeth. You took one step back.“

"It doesn’t go beyond anything,” you remarked, “So what if I’m just a terrible person. Leave me alone, Sicheng.”

“No, I will not leave you alone, Y/N, because like everyone else, I’m sick and tired of putting up with your remarks and hateful tirade against me!” he stomped, “I know that you don’t hate me because you’re a terrible reason. There’s something deeper, so if you just tell me what it is then we can get this over with-”

You stormed out on him. Safe to say that you got nothing done that night. 

The next practice you had was a few days later in the same studio at the same time. You had had an admittedly bad day after getting scolded by one of your dance teachers for failing to get a move right repeatedly, and then that was followed by one of your elective teachers shouting at you in front of the whole class for turning up late (because of the scolding) and not turning in your essay on time.

You wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed, watch your favourite drama and cry for a bit, but instead, you had to work even harder with your enemy who was bound to provoke you that entire night. Or so you thought. 

Sicheng was sat cross-legged in the middle of the dance studio, not noticing that you had come in. He was munching on something while scrolling through the iPad that was connected to the speakers in the studio. 

“Sicheng,” you called over to him.

“Oh, Y/N, you’re here!” you found it strange that he smiled so casually at you, as if you were friends, but you couldn’t deny that he had a nice smile.

“I’ve been here for a while so the food might get cold, but help yourself,” you saw him gesturing to the Tupperware of takeaway on the floor, “I heard it’s your favourite.”

“You got me food?” you frowned, sliding over to examine. He had even ordered your favourite dish on the menu. It was around dinner time so you were secretly grateful. 

“Minghao told me that you didn’t have such a good time in world communications today. Professor Kang is an asshole anyway,” Sicheng shrugged,  “Eat up. You don’t want to be dancing too hard on a full stomach.”

You opened the lid and slid out some chopsticks from its packet. You really were too exhausted to be mean tonight, “Even so, why are you being so nice to me? You should be bouncing off the walls because I had such a bad day.”

He smiled softly, taking a seat across from you and getting one of the appetiser snacks, “You may be a self-proclaimed terrible person, but I’m not. Since we have to work together for the next few months anyway, I’ll be the bigger person and try to make this set-up less like hell. How’s that?”

You looked down at your food that he had bought for you, suddenly feeling like the biggest trash bag in the world for treating him like trash as you had when he had the capabilities to be this nice.

A few days after, you were sat beside Jaehyun again, a decent amount of time early to your Business elective. 

“How was dance practice with Sicheng the other night?” he asked.

“Productive and tiring. We finally chose a song and laid out the plans for how we want our dance to go,” you replied, setting out your laptop and stationery.

“You know,” there was something teasing in his voice,  “He called me and asked me what your favourite takeaway was. I almost thought the two of you are friends now.”

“We’re not,” you snarked back, “I had a bad day and he was just being less of an asshole.”

You never told Jaehyun about the butterflies you got thinking about how Sicheng cared enough about you to ask someone for your favourite takeaway. Jaehyun snorted unconvincingly, and Sicheng arrived promptly after. You didn’t spare him once glance. 

-

“Let’s just try again,” you grumbled out quietly in frustration towards Sicheng, offering out your hand to restart the move. 

The two of you had been practising for a month and a half already, and you were both pretty proud of what you had come up with so far. Just a few days ago had Sicheng proposed the idea of this one difficult lift and you knew that if you could pull this off, it would be awesome.

“We’ve been trying for three hours already, Y/N,” he sighed looking at the clock. It was nearing 10 o'clock, “I saw a video of you doing this lift with Ten before. Why can’t you do it now?”

You looked him straight in the eye,  “I’m sorry that I’m not good enough.” You turned on your heel to put your shoes on and grab your bag.

“Hey Y/N!” he shouted firmly after you, making you halt in your steps. You were almost terrified by his tone, “Come back here.”

“You can’t make me do anything, Sicheng,” your voice hardened. 

Because you weren’t moving, he moved towards you instead, “I don’t know what’s been up with you these few weeks. You don’t fight with me anymore, but that confident, snarky, happy girl isn’t there anymore either. What’s going on?”

“Stop talking to me as if you know me, Sicheng- as if we’re friends,” you snapped. 

Upon spending more time with Sicheng, you realised that he was talkative and happy-go-lucky and all that despite his language struggles sometimes. Truthfully, you two were far more similar than you cared to admit and that was making you uncomfortable.

“Y/N, we will never be able to pull this duet off if you’re like this all the time!” he protested, “We can’t do this lift because you’re hesitating! You don’t trust me.”

“And what reason have you given me to trust you?” you dropped your bag back onto the hook and crossed your arms at him.

“Dammit, Y/N." 

Next thing you know, his lips were against yours and you were stood there frozen. Before you could realize what was happening and respond, whether to shove him away or kiss him back, he was taking reluctant steps away from you. 

Sicheng’s eyes were wide in shock as if he didn’t know what was happening either, "J-just trust me, Y/N.”

-

“Wow,” was the first word out of Ten’s mouth as he sat pressed up against the mirror wall of the dance studio, “It’s amazing. You two came up with this?”

It was the first dance practice after the infamous kiss where you walked out just moments after. You hadn’t spoken to him since that practice three days ago- not in your Dance class, not in your Dance Theory class, not in your Dance in World History class, not in your Business class and certainly not in passing around campus.

You had no idea what to say to him, or what he’d want to say to you, or how to explain what even happened. Did you like it? Did you not? Your head was spinning all over the place and you had no idea what to do.

You did, however, know that you had just pulled off the hard lift for the first time.

“Yeah, we did,” Sicheng smiled proudly at Ten, pausing the music.

“Wow, it’s not even complete yet, but it’s come together so well. Damn, I might have to steal a few moves,” he chuckled, “I’m actually really surprised that you even made it this far without ripping out each others’ hair and teeth yet. Are you two friends now?”

“No,” you answered monosyllabically, “We’re just professionals.”

Ten raised his eyebrows, getting up from the floor, “Right. Yeah. Sure. I have to run to class now, but thanks for letting me see! It looks like you don’t need my help, but I’m here if you need any! Good luck!”

Ten raced off without another word. He had simply wanted to see what you two had come up with so far between lessons because he usually wasn’t available at night and only 1 of your tri-weekly practices was in the afternoon. 

“Hey, well done,” Sicheng called over to you, “We did the lift.”

“Yeah,” you replied back, “It was good.”

“Listen-”

“We don’t need to talk about it,” you cut him off, meeting his eye, “Let’s just keep going, Sicheng.”

He looked away and nodded, “Let’s just finish this dance.”

- 

It was two days before the competition that was being hosted in Seoul. The time with Sicheng flew by quickly, and before you knew it, you had finished the dance, but more importantly, you two had created something incredible together. You didn’t expect anything less and you knew that the rest of the competition wouldn’t expect anything less from two of the best contemporary dancers from one of the best schools on the continent.

“There you are,” Sicheng found you at lunchtime, where you were eating with Lisa and two of your other best friends, “Can I talk to you?”

You stood up, avoiding the gazes from your friends. They knew that you had been working with Sicheng for the past few months, but the two of you never talked outside of practice apart from the infrequent retorts and remarks towards one another. You never talked civilly.

“What do you want, Sicheng?” you raised an eyebrow, “Don’t tell me you’re cancelling on me tonight.”

“I am,” he smirked, and you were about to protest angrily until he spoke again, “Let’s have dinner tonight.”

“Wh- what? Dinner? With you?” your eyes widened.

“We’ve practised enough and we still have tomorrow, but we should get dinner tonight to celebrate as teammates and partners!” he proposed, “C'mon, I’ll even pay.”

“Celebrate what? We haven’t even gone to the showcase yet,” you folded your arms sceptically, “And you’re making this sound way too much like a date.”

“Would you like it to be one?” he smirked, “We need to get our minds off that showcase and celebrate how we haven’t killed each other. A pre-game to the real event if you will.”

“It’s not a date,” you grunted out, a blush rising to your cheeks. 

“Whatever. I’ll pick you up at 7 outside your dorms. Wear something as pretty as you are,” he winked.

“Dong Sicheng!” you yelled after him as he walked away, softly laughing to yourself after.

It was a foreign feeling to feel this way about him.

-

“You continue to surprise me again and again, Y/N,” Sicheng grinned at you as you walked out of your dorm building. 

“What?”

“You actually look nice,” he complimented, “I thought because I told you to look nice you’d do the opposite just to defy me.”

You were wearing a skirt for once, not wanting to go too overboard with a dress, but you had to admit that you tried to look nice, even if it wasn’t a date. Hell would freeze over before you went on a date with Dong Sicheng. You were just being civil to agree.

“Of course I look nice,” you scoffed, making your way towards his car. 

“Oi, that’s when you’re meant to say that I look nice too!” he whined, racing over to get into the driver’s seat. 

You noticed that he was wearing some black trousers held up by a black belt, a decorated button up and a nice jacket. His hair was swept to the side, exposing his forehead which was a rare sight because you usually saw him with his hair matted with sweat, falling in front of his eyes.

“You look disgusting tonight,” you deadpanned as he got the car going.

“You’re so nice, Y/N,” he rolled his eyes, chuckling, “So cute too.”

“Shut up Sicheng,” you pouted, “Where are we even going? Are you sure you’re not just taking me out to murder me? You know, dispose of the competition?”

“If I was going to do that, then I wouldn’t have endured these past 3 months with you. You’re no longer my competition; you’re my partner now, Y/N,” he smiled cheekily.

“That makes me want to throw up,” you replied bluntly, jokingly.

In the latter half of your practices, you began to speak normally with Sicheng again. By normally, you meant that you were back to playful teasing and words to irk the other, but your words weren’t outright mean anymore like they used to be. You two seemed to wordlessly agree to never mention the kiss again either, but that didn’t mean it escaped your mind. There were times in your routine either of you would mess up and end up collapsed on the floor, and you’d be eye to eye with Sicheng and your damn mind would wander to what it would possibly feel like to have his lips on yours again, but it was easy to dismiss those thoughts.

“No, but seriously, Y/N,” his tone dropped, “We can stay as rivals, but I want us to be friends as well. I think we can get on well if we try.”

You sighed deeply. Your rivalry with Sicheng was a little exhausting, admittedly, but you had a reason for it, whether he knew or not, “I’ll think about it, Sicheng.”

“Well I better make tonight worthwhile, I guess,” he chuckled.

Turns out, Sicheng took you to one of your favourite restaurants in the Gangnam district. It was a little expensive because of where it was, but it wasn’t overly fancy or anything. The restaurant was the perfect place for two semi-friends to grab some dinner.

The two of you had already ordered and it had come quickly, with the two of you filling the time with some small talk about the dance and the competition.

“So, who did you invite to watch?” you asked him, scooping a portion of your food into your mouth. Sicheng had definitely made the right choice of location, but you wondered if he did it purposely. 

“All my friends are coming,” he shrugged, “And BamBam, Kook, Yugyeom and Minghao.”

Your eyes bulged, “All 11 of them?" 

The group was infamous on campus. They were a group of many ethnicities and year groups and they were all really sweet people. They were lucky to find each other and to have each other as brothers on campus and everyone was jealous of them. 

"Yeah, they’re gonna fill out a lot of seats,” Sicheng snorted, “Good thing the venue’s big. Who did you invite?”

“Yeah, the venue is big. The stage is huge; I’m quite nervous,” you admitted sheepishly, “But I invited Lisa, Jihyo and Rosé. Our friends together are taking up so many seats!”

“Well they need to see our performance,” he smiled proudly, “Don’t be nervous, we’ll do well. Just trust me. It’s not even a competition.”

“Yeah, but scouts will be there to watch,” you replied, “I need to stand out. This is a shot at securing my future.”

“You’re an amazing dancer, Y/N. One way or another you’ll be successful,” he snorted.

“That’s not true, Sicheng,” you sighed, “The performing arts is one of the most unsecure, unstable jobs. Unless I’m world renowned or an idol or famous, it’s difficult trying to scrape jobs. I almost didn’t take dance because of the uncertain future. It’s unlike medicine or nursing where you get out of college and get a job almost immediately. So many dance majors end up in jobs that have nothing to do with dance and I don’t want to end up like that.”

“Y/N?” he caught your attention warily, almost reluctant to speak, “Forgive me if I’m overstepping but I sense that what you just said ties into why you hate me so much. Am I correct?”

“You’re correct,” you surprised yourself  by answering him truthfully, “But I don’t hate you that much- not anymore anyway, or else I wouldn’t be sat here with you.”

“I’m glad that you don’t hate me that much anymore then,” he smiled. He didn’t press on any more. 

The dinner flew by quickly. You had told him that the place was one of your favourites and he said that he never knew (He did. He asked Jaehyun again. He didn’t want to seem like he was trying too hard). The two of you talked mainly about the showcase and who was going to be there and what moves were the killing parts and you talked about your friends, and how long you’d known them, but you hardly talked about yourselves. That was why you and Sicheng were still disconnected. You didn’t actually know that much about him, other than the basics like he was from China and he was a dance major.

When the night at the restaurant ended, you were slightly saddened because spending time with Sicheng didn’t want to make you claw out your eyeballs (or his). It was almost nice.

“Y/N,” he whined as you two got into the car, “I’m craving ice cream!”

“Dumbass, you should’ve ordered dessert at the restaurant then!” you huffed.

“Did you even look at the prices? Let’s just go to a convenience store and buy a tub. The only ice cream in my dorm room is green tea flavoured because Jae likes that grass-tasting trash. I like green tea, just not in ice cream,” he continued to whine.

“Fortunately for you, you’re the one with the car and it’s too far for me to walk to the dorms,” you sighed, rolling your eyes playfully, “So do whatever you want, I guess.”

Sicheng grinned widely, showing the puffy apples of his cheeks that you grew to secretly adore, which you will never, ever tell him. Just because he was cute didn’t mean that you were in love with him. You weren’t even friends. 

He drove quickly to a nearby convenience store, convincing you to go inside with him instead of letting you stay in the car. You agreed begrudgingly after a little arguing with him.

“Oh, what flavour?” Sicheng gazed on excitedly at the freezer display with his eyes shining like a kid’s at a carnival stand.

“Just get any; I don’t care Sicheng,” you huffed, crossing your arms. 

“You’re such a party-pooper Y/N,” he stuck his tongue out at you and opened the freezer doors, going with a chocolate hazelnut flavour, “Now, let’s find the spoons.”

“What? The spoons? Do you not have spoons in your dorm?” you scoffed, running after him as he sped down the aisles. He was definitely an energetic boy.

“Yes I do, but I want my ice cream now. Do you expect me to claw it out with my fingers?” he looked at you as if you were crazy.

“Oh my God, Sicheng! You’re gonna eat it in the car? And make me wait to get home even longer?” you stomped.

He looked at you and smiled innocently, “Problem?”

“Many!" 

Sicheng snatched the pack of plastic spoons from the shelf and headed towards the counter, without replying to you. This boy was a work of something. 

When you exited the shop, Sicheng stopped and didn’t walk towards his car. He looked at you knowingly, "There’s a bench over there. Can we sit down?”

“You’re so annoying,” you grumbled, already heading towards the bench. The dorms were still too far for you to walk, and you didn’t want to waste money on a bus ticket even if you were wasting time with Sicheng.

He took a seat beside you so that the two of you were just a few centimetres apart. You heard the rustling of plastic and he got two spoons out, handing one to you, “Let’s share,” You squinted your eyes at him sceptically, “C'mon Y/N, it’s just ice cream. I don’t have herpes or anything. I’ll eat the right side and you can eat the left.”

“Fine,” you snatched the spoon out of his grip, “You’re being sickeningly nice tonight. Stop it.”

“Well I have to be nice on our first date, don’t I?” he winked teasingly.

You nudged his side with your elbow, “Get it through your thick head that this is not a date. Never.”

“Well, in the words of Justin Beiber, never say never,” he joked.

“Sicheng, I’m this close to stabbing you with this spoon. You’ll be surprised how much damage I can cause,” you threatened playfully. 

“Ah, well, you’ve already broken my heart so what more can you do,” he pretended to act sad as he gripped the fabric above his heart.

“I hate you so much,” you grunted out.

“Well, not that much, you don’t,” Sicheng’s ugly (cute) giggle sounded out between you in the thick night air as silence fell upon you. 

It seemed like the perfect time, to be honest, and be honest you were.

“Sicheng?” you took his attention away from scooping, “You want to know why I hate you right? You keep asking.”

One corner of his lips quirked up, “You can tell me when you’re ready, Y/N.”

“How about now?" 

He tilted his head in interest, "Only if you want to.”

“I told you that I almost didn’t take dance as my major right?” you began, “This college was the only college I applied to for dance. Thank God that I aced my audition, but when I was accepted, I almost rejected it. I don’t like uncertain futures. I don’t like going with the flow. I like having my life planned out, so even now, this major is so scary to me. I was always insecure about my dancing. I’ve not always been this good, Sicheng; I wasn’t always this confident. I never used to speak up in lessons and my friends spoke to me first. It was a miracle that I got accepted into here because my experience wasn’t that vast, unlike some others’ that got rejected. Ten took me under his wing and helped me get to where I am. Ten taught me half the things I know to being a good dancer and I suddenly shot up to being the best in the class. That wasn’t without hard work. I slaved away in the practice studios to ridiculous hours in the night just to do it all again the next day in class. I grew in self-confidence. I wasn’t doubting myself as much before.”

“And then I moved here,” he added, knowingly.

“And then you moved here, and suddenly you were just better than me at everything and my confidence collapsed. I was pushed off my pedestal because everything you did was so effortless. I don’t know if you’re naturally gifted or you worked as hard as I used to do, but I didn’t care because you were better than me and that angered me. Before we started practising, I found my old ways of slaving away and exhausting myself again. For every move I got wrong, I started hating myself more.” you explained, “It’s not that being the best is everything in life; it’s that being the best in this major guarantees you a bright future. The valedictorians of the past years are now famous dancers. All of them. While the title alone doesn’t give you too much credit, it gives you exposure to the top recruiting companies. I know we’re only in sophomore year, but this matters to me, Sicheng.”

“And I came and ruined it all for you,” he heaved, swallowing his ice cream, “I understand, Y/N. I’m sorry. God, I was such an ass always taunting you with my grades and position-”

“No, Sicheng, you were just trying your best in this competitive field. It was me being stupid,” you sighed, looking down at your hands, “That’s why I want to do well at this showcase. I want the scouts to know who I am so that when I graduate, I’m not scraping pennies and knees looking for something to do with my degree that pays well.”

“Look at me, Y/N,” he ordered softly. The tub had been closed and shoved into the plastic bag behind him. He took your spoon and placed it in there too, along with his as he met your shining eyes again, “We’re going to kick ass tomorrow that the other acts won’t know what hit them. You’re going to have a successful future and we’ll be famous. You’re good enough. You’re much better, in fact. You don’t need to worry about a thing, anymore, because I’m on your side now.”

For one of the first times ever, you actually smiled softly at Sicheng, “Thank you, Sicheng.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied.

Above you, the moon pulled into a crescent smile and the stars twinkled a little brighter as everything seemed to align for you.

-

“Hey, hey, calm down,” Sicheng placed his hands on your shaking shoulders, “We’ll be fine, Y/N.”

The two of you were backstage at the showcase, about to go on the stage. The acts so far had been breathtakingly amazing, but you believed in your duet with Sicheng, even if your body was rejecting you. Your hands were shaky and your eyes were wandering. In short, you were beyond nervous.

“What if I mess-”

He surprised you by taking you into a tight hug, pulling your head into the crook of his neck with his arms around you. It calmed you down almost instantly after a flash of panic. It was nice. 

One of his hands reached up to your head to stroke your hair gently. He continued to do this until you reacted by reluctantly looping your own arms around his small waist. 

“Just trust me, Y/N,” there was no stutter or hesitance in his voice.

So, trust Sicheng you did. 

For the few minutes on that stage, you focused on nothing but him and your dance. You barely batted an eyelash at the huge audience or your stupid friends who began a Mexican wave amongst themselves as they cheered while you were getting ready for the music to start. You took your mind off the fact that your future could be sitting in the audience in the form of someone in a suit or a dress and a clipboard. Your eyes only knew Sicheng’s for that few minutes and you gave it your all. 

The theme of the night was passion, so you poured every inch of your heart, body and soul because you wanted absolutely no regrets when you stepped off that stage. The past three months had been building up to that very moment and like hell were you going to mess it up. Every sweat you’ve broke, every tear you’ve shed, every pain you’ve endured- this was it.

Your life was dance. You just wanted to dance. This was your big moment.

The lifts and stunts you put into your dance were hard. One millimetre off in your position, then it would all go crashing. One fraction of a second of hesitation, then you would go tumbling down in flames. So you didn’t hesitate. 

You moved with Sicheng fluidly as you had practised so diligently. You transformed the hate you used to have for him into something more purposeful that made your dance so moving, so passionate. You had never danced like this before- as if everything depended on it. 

The routine was over before you could even blink, and it took you a few moments to register the deafening cheers (that was mainly from your large group of friends). Sicheng grabbed your hand, grinning and panting, his eyes conveying pride as he pulled you into a bow. You had no idea how he was still sane because your head was anywhere but Earth. You failed to acknowledge how there was a standing ovation as the two of you rushed off stage for the next act to begin. 

As soon as he could, Sicheng engulfed you into a hug, bouncing up and down with glee, “You killed it Y/N. You were amazing! That was- oh my God!”

You were still breathless and speechless but your face found it in you to grin widely like an idiot. You were surprised that you weren’t crying, but you were still somewhat in shock.

“Thanks, Sicheng. For everything. You did awesome. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Sicheng used the adrenaline he had in him as courage as he pressed his lips against yours. This time, you kissed back.

Kissing Sicheng was heaven on Earth. You felt like you were floating amongst the clouds and the stars. You don’t know if the adrenaline pumping through your veins was what was making your head spin, but you felt addicted to his lips and you felt addicted to Sicheng that it was crazy. Your arms slid around his neck and he pressed up against you. The two of you had no care in the world for anyone who could’ve been watching. You only craved each other at that moment.

“Sicheng,” you breathed as you finally pulled away.

“I- I’m sorry, Y/N. I got caught up. I-”

“You regret it?” you frowned.

He studied your face for a few moments, “It seems like you don’t, so I sure as hell don’t and all I want to do is kiss you again.”

“Well, what’s stopping you?”

-

A few weeks later, college had ended and you and your extortionately large amount of friends were huddled around a fire by the Han River. The moon was glittering idly, watching over you as you all took swings at alcohol bottles to commemorate the school year that had just passed. You were also mourning the graduation of the seniors, Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong and Yuta, which downsized the size of the group of boys from 12 to 8. Well, that was until the year began and the four departing were replaced by 4 other boys they knew were close with from high school. Jaehyun had told you about two boys called Jaemin and Jeno, and Mark had told you about someone called Donghyuck. Kun made you all promise to be nice to Renjun, who was a Chinese boy that had been in Korea for a year whose mother knew his. 

You were sat with Lisa, speaking animatedly about whatever. You hadn’t spared many glances towards Sicheng all night, but he was pretty pre-occupied with his friends. 

The two of you weren’t dating; you weren’t lovers of friends-with-benefits, but you had kissed him a few times since the showcase- mainly inside closets and empty practice rooms. You hadn’t talked about feelings at all, so your mind was always in overdrive at stupid hours in the morning as you pondered on your own feelings. 

When did the lines between you and Sicheng so quickly blur from hate to attraction? Why were you constantly thinking about his lips and cheeks and the way he smiled and laughed? Why were you suddenly missing the feel of his large hands on your waist every time he would lift you up during your routine? You swear you were going crazy.

You hadn’t told any of your friends either because you both promised not to. The two of you alone didn’t have an explanation for anything, so trying to explain it to your friends would make everything complicated. While you told him that you hated going with the flow, he begged you to endure it just this once and you immediately agreed. 

The night waned on and it was soon obvious that people weren’t going to leave for a while. It was a nice environment. There was good music with the boys singing and playing the guitar and all that, and the fire kept you all warm despite the cold as it crackled away happily. You loved it. 

“Y/N,” Sicheng’s familiar voice pulled you out of your conversation with BamBam and Lisa, “Can we talk?”

You nodded, leaving your drink behind with the two Thai dancers as you grasped his hand to help you up. The two of you walked away from the group before he started speaking.

“My old university in China called me today,” he began nervously, “They saw the video of us dancing at the showcase. They offered me a full scholarship to come back for the start of next year and be the face of their department. They offered me to sign with one of the top agencies in China while continuing my education there.”

You were speechless while your throat ran dry and your blood cold, “That’s fantastic for you, Sicheng. Have fun in China. This was fun. I won’t miss you.”

He grabbed your wrist as you began to walk away. Your heart was doing something weird, something painful to you and you hated the feeling.

“Y/N, tell me not to accept and I won’t go,” he said seriously. You searched his eyes. There was nothing joking in them.

“What the fuck, Sicheng?” you seethed, “This is the opportunity of a lifetime and you want to say no? Who am I to tell you anything? We’re barely friends.”

“Goddammit, Y/N!” he raised his voice so loud that you flinched back in surprise, “Stop saying we’re not friends! Because we are and you know it. In fact, we’re past friends. Look, Y/N. I like you. I like you so much. I’m already 50% in love with you-”

“Sicheng,” you gasped.

“No, Y/N, I need you to listen. Your opinion matters to me. I know you’ll tell me to go, but I don’t want to leave you, especially not when we haven’t even started this thing between us. So tell me right now that you at least like me a little bit the way that I do so I can sleep again at night. Tell  me you like me and I’ll stay,” he huffed.

“You’re stupid to give up that opportunity for love,” you croaked out, slowly processing everything that he had told you, “You know that right, Sicheng? Don’t do this for me.”

“So what if I’m stupid, Y/N?” he dropped his voice to a whisper and cupped your cheeks, “But I don’t want to leave you behind, or the boys. I could always try and get into the agency after I graduate or stay here in Korea where I’ve built my life now.”

“Sicheng, I don’t know why you’re asking me when it seems like you’ve already made your mind up,” you sighed.

“I don’t want to go, so tell me to not go and I won’t. It might feel selfish of you to tell me to stay, but I need that one last push to be able to reject it. So tell me to stay, and I will.”

“Stay,” you breathed incredulously, pressing your lips against his. 

They moved together passionately, languidly like a dance overflowing with emotion. Kissing Sicheng was amazing every time. It was intoxicating and not only because you could taste beer on his lips. You were starting to find a home in Sicheng’s warmth. He was the one that anchored you, that grounded you. He was the one keeping you steady in the unsteady life you were living. 

He felt like heaven with his arms around you, his lips on yours. You wanted to be nowhere else but there, and you were bursting with joy that he chose to stay. He was 50% in love with you and maybe you were 50% in love with him back. Together, the love you had formed something whole, something pure, something divine. It was explosive in the best way possible and rocked your whole entire being. 

You’ll recall later on in life how you spent many months hating him, but he’ll tell you never to regret it as he cradled your hand in his along with your heart. It was meant to be, he’ll say, and you’ll agree because there was no place else you’d rather be, no matter how you got there- no matter how treacherous the slope was, no matter how unsteady the path felt. 

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Taylor Swift's Treacherous and [ Charity & Andres's Waves ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyJK5Z056UQ%E2%80%9D) and [this Unsteady dance duo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgkuqaZJfo%22)


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